Top 10 cities to sell a car

Rachel Wait rounds up the 10 cheapest cities to sell a car in!

Last week, I wrote about the 10 cheapest cities for buying a car, and listed the best places to go to find a cheap secondhand car.

But what happens if you’re selling your car? After all, if you live in Leeds (the cheapest city to buy a car in), finding out prices have dropped by nearly 50% won’t make for happy reading. As a result, you might feel you have to hold onto your old banger for a while longer.

Well, don’t despair just yet - there are plenty of cities where you could advertise your car and potentially get a lot more money for your motor.

Yes, as well as revealing the 10 best cities for buying a car, Gumtree has also unveiled the 10 best cities for selling a car – in other words, those cities where prices have increased the most over the past year.

City	Average car price	Price year-on-year
Swindon	£4,717	129.73%
Lancaster	£4,005	126.12%
Sunderland	£1,642	41.80%
Reading	£2,359	41.65%
Derby	£1,989	28.13%
Gloucester	£2,280	27.65%
Luton	£2,098	27.04%
Milton Keynes	£2,003	25.01%
York	£2,266	22.14%
Dundee	£1,854	17.50%

Swindon takes the top spot, where car prices on Gumtree have jumped by almost 130%! The average car price is a staggering £4,717 – that’s nearly £3,000 more than the average car price in Leeds.

Lancaster isn’t far behind, however. Prices here have risen by 126%, with the average price coming in at just over £4,000. So if you live in either of these cities and you’re hoping to pass on your car to someone else, you should get a good deal. (On the other hand, if you’re a buyer, I’d steer well clear, unless you're a particularly brilliant haggler!)

Boost your car’s value

Of course, selling your car in a different city to the one in which you live isn’t exactly practical. Fortunately, though, there are a number of other steps you can take to help boost your car’s value.

1. Clean up

For a start, you should give your car a good clean – inside and out! Research from Carsite.co.uk revealed that you could get an extra £300-£400 for your car if you clean up!

2. Check the tyres

It’s also a good idea to check the tyres to see if they’re balding, or near the minimum tread limit. The legal minimum tread is 1.6mm, but the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents recommends that worn tyres are replaced well before this level is reached - ideally when they reach 3mm.

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And while you’re at it, check the tyre pressure and make sure your car has a spare.

3. Check for damage

Make sure there are no cracks in your windscreen and no dents or scratches in your car. If there’s any damage, get it fixed. As well as increasing buyer interest, you’re also likely to get a better price.

4. Service your car

Make sure your car has had a recent service – an up-to-date service book and vehicle history is important if you want to sell your car successfully! Read Easy ways to find a good mechanic for some top tips.

If you have a long MOT certificate on the car as well, this could increase the value by £200-300. And if you’re worried about how much this will cost, read Drivers: Cut the cost of your MOT.

5. Sell before the warranty expires

If your car still has a couple of years warranty in place, this will make it more attractive to buyers as they know they have that extra protection in case anything goes wrong with the car in the future.

For even more advice, read Top 10 tips to boost your car’s value.

So whether you’re hoping to buy or sell a car, make sure you follow these top tips or simply head off to the appropriate city!

Good luck!

More: A cheaper way to get a new car | Ten ways to cut your motoring costs

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